Nancy Pelosi leaning toward boycotting Benghazi panel

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is considering totally boycotting the Benghazi special committee, or appointing fewer members than allotted to her, according to Democratic aides and lawmakers familiar with her thinking.

Appointing fewer than five lawmakers would be an attempt to show that Democrats don’t fully endorse the committee but still are in place if Republican “tricks happen,” according to a Democratic aide — maneuvers like releasing selective transcripts of depositions.

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The California Democrat huddled with her leadership team on a conference call late Wednesday — one day before the Republican leadership plans to pass a bill that would create a special committee to investigate the 2012 attack in Benghazi.

Republicans have seven slots on the panel, and Democrats are allowed five members. Pelosi is still considering appointing five Democrats, although sources close to her think that’s unlikely.

Pelosi has made no secret that she thinks this special panel — chaired by Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) — is a sham.

In a House Democratic Caucus meeting Wednesday morning, she told her colleagues she was leaning toward a full boycott. She was backed by South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, the assistant Democratic leader, and Rep. Steve Israel, the New York Democrat who chairs the party’s campaign arm. Pelosi, according to an aide, is consulting with a wide range of Democrats before making a decision.

There’s risk and reward to all approaches. Should she appoint no one to the committee, it would be a surefire sign that Democrats stand united against its creation. Democrats who endorse this approach think that Republicans would stumble through the hearings. But absence of Democrats could also allow the GOP to control the narrative on a panel that could last right up through January 2015. The Republicans are sure to call a wide range of figures to testify, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, National Security Adviser Susan Rice and other current and former figures in the Obama administration. If Democrats sit on the panel, they will get to take part in interviews, depositions and hearings.

In a House Democratic Caucus meeting Wednesday morning, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), a close Pelosi ally who chaired the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, made the point that Democrats should sit on the Republican-controlled committee, according to sources present. Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), who is an up-and-coming Democrat in leadership circles, agreed with Waxman, according to several sources present.

A decision and announcement are not expected to be made until after the vote is held to impanel the committee — the vote is expected Thursday. Pelosi and her Democratic colleagues are expected to be unanimous in opposing the committee’s creation on the House floor.